Billy’s book

New York, April 14 (Reuters): Comedian Billy Crystal joined the ranks of celebrities peddling children’s books yesterday with the debut of I Already Know I Love You, a tome he penned as a “love poem” to his first grandchild.

“It’s profoundly moving when your baby has a baby,” Crystal said after reading his new book to five-year-olds at the Children’s Museum in Manhattan. He joins an array of celebrity children’s book authors that includes Julie Andrews, Madonna and the US late-night talk show host and comedian Jay Leno.

The book, published by HarperCollins, outlines things Crystal hopes to do with his grandchild, such as eating spaghetti and going to a baseball game.

Crystal said the book was aimed at parents and children as well as grandparents.

Twinkle toes

Sydney (Reuters): A chubby, barefoot Australian man outran police on Wednesday when he bolted through security gates left open at the back of a court he was being led into, officials said. Security footage showed the overweight man dashing down a back lane in central Sydney pursued by at least four police and prison guards, two of whom tripped over while giving chase. “There was about seven or eight fellows but they couldn’t stop him. He was a big fellow, pretty strong, but he could run,” witness Chris Swift said.

Dress drag

Dallas (Reuters): A Texas Republican who was once a front-runner in a race for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives lost after reports circulated earlier this month saying he enjoyed dressing in women’s clothes. Sam Walls, 64, lost to real estate developer Rob Orr. Walls won the endorsement of several leading Republicans in the state but saw the momentum in the election shift when the pictures surfaced showing him in a dress, high heels and a wig.